Sherry Heffernan' case - A detailed case overview ahead of Snapped

Pennsylvania real estate agent, Sherry Heffernan, has been sentenced to two life terms for the brutal murders of her 87-year-old father and his 75-year-old girlfriend in their waterfront home in New Jersey.

The case, which began in the fall of 2021 with the shocking discovery of the victims’ bodies, spanned more than two years and revealed a story of family conflict, greed, and violence. Oxygen's Snapped season 35 episode 22, titled Sherry Heffernan, explores the case in detail. It is airing today at 6 pm ET.

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Sherry Heffernan's case explored on Snapped

On October 3, 2021, officers from the Surf City Police Department conducted a welfare check at the Long Island waterfront home of John “Jack” Enders. Inside the six-bedroom house, which he shared with his longtime partner, Francoise “Frenchy” Pitoy, police discovered the bodies of Enders and Pitoy.

According to Oxygen, the bodies had multiple stab wounds, and investigators determined that the couple had likely been killed several days earlier, around September 29, 2021.

The Ocean County Medical Examiner’s autopsy showed Enders died of multiple stab wounds, including severance of the carotid artery, as well as blunt force trauma. Pitoy’s autopsy revealed similar injuries, and both deaths were ruled homicides.

When the investigation commenced, authorities quickly focused on Sherry Heffernan, Enders’ then 55-year-old daughter. Detectives traced surveillance footage of a Winnebago recreational vehicle, matching hers, traveling toward the victims’ home on the night of September 29.

Another video showed a person in oversized clothing climbing a fence near the property, carrying a bag, the same night. Investigators also recovered bloody footprints in the kitchen that matched Heffernan’s shoes.

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The arrest of Heffernan

On October 5, 2021, Pennsylvania State Police arrested Heffernan at her home in Landenberg. She was charged with two counts of murder, along with weapons offenses.

At the time of her arrest, prosecutors had not publicly disclosed a motive, but a neighbor later told police that Enders had cut Heffernan out of his will and rejected her offer to sell his home, which was listed for nearly $2 million.

Heffernan denied any involvement in the crime and claimed that she was being framed. As per NBC, before her extradition to New Jersey, she also faced unrelated charges in Pennsylvania for retail theft and receiving stolen property stemming from a 2019 case.

Heffernan was arrested for double homicide (Image via Getty)

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The trial of Sherry Heffernan

During her trial, prosecutors argued that Sherry Heffernan was motivated by anger and greed. Enders had transferred ownership of his Surf City property to his name earlier that year, intending to sell it, which, according to prosecutors, threatened her financial interests.

Prosecutors further alleged that Heffernan resented Pitoy for the role she played in her father's life. According to Chief Trial Attorney Michael Weatherstone, prosecutors said Heffernan shot both victims in the mouth, before stabbing Pitoy 39 times and Enders 51 times. Authorities alleged she dragged her father into a chair and continued stabbing him while looking him in the eye.

Defense attorneys Steven Altman and Phil Nettl challenged the state’s evidence against Heffernan as circumstantial. They argued there was no definitive proof Heffernan was driving the RV or that she was the person seen on surveillance footage, as reported by Oxygen.

Despite this, in March 2024, after a jury trial, Heffernan was convicted of two counts of murder and related weapons offenses. On May 10, 2024, Superior Court Judge Kimarie Rahill sentenced her to two consecutive life terms, requiring her to serve 63 years and nine months without parole for each count.

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Catch more details about the case tonight on Oxygen.